Waterfront 10m - 58:32 - 1st place
Woke up this morning to some very strong winds and rainy weather. The predictions last night were gusts up to 60 mph and 1-2" of rain. It wasn't quite that bad though. I jogged down from the hotel to the registration and contemplated running the 5k rather than the 10m because it didn't sound like fun battling the wind for 10 miles. But I figured I had nothing to lose and could at least get a good effort in, so I talked myself into the longer one. The course was very scenic; out and back from Fisherman's Wharf past At&T stadium where the Giants play. It was flat almost the whole way too. Here's the rundown:
1: 5:47 Felt very easy, in a pack of 4 runners. Glad I went out with the group even though it felt slow
2: 5:55 Settling in. Still a pack of 4 and running pretty comfortable. Winds not bad at this point.
3: 6:10 I led for a while because I felt like a leech drafting off the other guys. The wind would just stop you in your tracks in some places.
4: 6:15 Past the stadium and out onto an industrial area with a few turns. Kind of lost some intensity here because the weather was so crappy. I just decided to kind of stay in a relatively comfortable zone and try to make some moves on the way back.
5: 6:09 Some small uphill sections and the worst windy stretch. Turnaround point and I'm about 10-12 seconds behind first running with another guy.
6: 5:37 Pretty fast mile. Still in 3rd place. Rainy hard for a few minutes in here.
7: 5:39 Back past the stadium and onto the wharf again. Moved into 2nd and gaining a little on the leader.
8: 5:27 Wind at our backs and rolling pretty steady here. Closing in on the leader.
9: 5:34 Passed the leader with a little under 2 miles to go. Feeling pretty good through here. Wondering whether to keep it steady or try to make a big break. Decide to keep it steady and save some for the last mile.
10: 5:35 (58:14) Hit the headwind again on the last mile and it started to hurt a bit here, but I had enough to hold on for the win. Garmin measured the race at 10.06 and 58:32 for an average pace of 5:49. Last 5 in 27:55 on the Garmin. I probably didn't run the greatest tangents so the course was probably accurate.
Cooldown with the 2nd and 3rd place guys, who are really cool guys and both training for marathons.
Overall summary of race: A win is a win, and for the conditions, I'll take it. My training has been weak the last month or so and I really need to start cranking it up.
PM: 2+ hour hike at Muir Woods/Dipsea Trail. This was a lot of fun!
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